Kelor Kirti

Mustafi pc Aurora Film st Bhupen bannerjee c Debi Ghosh lp Lalu Bose, Bebrani, Niharbala

Calcutta's Aurora Studio embarked on its first feature, Ratnakar(1921) when Madan Theatres started Bi/wamanga/(1919), the latter sometimes being presented as the first Bengali feature. The comedy Ke/or Kirti, rougWy meaning A Scandal, tells of Kalbhairab Bose aka Kelo, part clown part idiot and an incorrigible romantic. He rescues the heroine Manukumari from drowning and falls in love with her. Her father allows the marriage if Kelo first earns Rs 5000, triggering a series of adventures. He wins the money at the races but loses it when he swallows his winning ticket; he tries to have an accident to collect the· insurance but is knocked down by a car driven by his future brother-in-law. He eventually gets the insurance and marries Manukumari. The film continues the efforts by locally owned Calcutta studios to create an indigenous cinematic idiom distinct from the idiom ofBilet Pherat (1921) or of Taj Mahal's Andhare Alo (1922)

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